Bradshaw leaves Bloomsbury for BA

Emma Bradshaw is leaving Bloomsbury Children’s Books to become the Bookseller Association’s new head of campaigns.

Currently senior publicity manager at Bloomsbury where she has worked for the last 10 years, Bradshaw will join the trade body on 16th July, working on key campaigns such as Books Are My Bag, Independent Bookshop Week, the World Book Day, Academic Book Week and the BA Christmas Catalogue.

The role of campaigns manager is a new one, created following a reorganisation of the BA announced in January when then chief executive Tim Godfray revealed he would be stepping back after 33 years to become executive chair of the BA Group, while the head of membership services Meryl Halls moved to become managing director of the trade body.

Bradshaw, who started her career in 2002 as a bookseller for Ottaker’s in Bromley before moving to the publicity team at HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2005, said: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at the Booksellers' Association. Playing a part in ensuring the longevity of our thriving and individual high streets is incredibly important to me. We're very lucky to have so many knowledgeable and innovative booksellers in the UK and Ireland, many of whom I am fortunate enough to have worked with as a publicist. I can't wait to work with them more closely on the BA's range of wonderful campaigns.”

Halls said Bradshaw had “fantastic experience” running high profile book campaigns and was “hugely passionate about the vital importance of bookshops”. “It’s never been more important to campaign hard on behalf of high street bookselling, and I know Emma will quickly become an invaluable member of the team helping to deliver that vision, while her creativity and strategic expertise will take the BA’s campaigns on to the next stage,” Halls said.

Bradshaw will report directly to Halls and will join the senior BA management team working with Alan Staton, director of strategy and communications and Giles Clifton, head of corporate affairs. Kara Rennie, social media and community manager and Sharon Benton, groups and marketing manager, will report to Bradshaw.